Taking the High Road
I looked up the definition of “taking the high road” and here’s what I found:
“Taking the high road means ‘behaving in a morally superior or ethical way, even when it’s difficult or when others are acting poorly, prioritizing integrity and doing what’s right.'”
This definition can sound a bit arrogant and is a bit subjective…
Who decides what is moral superiority? Who is ethical? Who is acting poorly? Who is doing what is right?
I have my own definition…
To me, the High Road is a place within your spirit where you can lift yourself out of a toxic environment, stop drowning in the poisonous sludge that surrounds you, and allow your mind some peace and clarity.
When you are submerged in unending chaos, your brain is in survival mode.
This is not a healthy way to exist 24/7.
The High Road is where the colors are brighter, the air is crisper, and you can finally remember what joy is.
It’s hard to get there, and just as hard to stay there.
One misstep, and you’re plummeting back into the abyss.
But, each time you recover, the path above becomes more defined… easier to reach, and your footing more secure.
I had a dream many, many years ago… I found myself on the side of a mountain, staring down at the valley below. The carnage was mind numbing. I could see people I knew, and they didn’t seem to find a need to escape what was happening all around them.
I had so many emotions… sadness being first and foremost. How could these people not try to find a path to safety?
And… just how the heck did I make it up here all alone?
Even though there was no one by my side, I still felt safe.
Then slowly, I began to realize there were others on this mountainside, scattered on all sides of the valley.
We waved at each other. And in that moment, we knew none of us were ever really alone.
A few years later, I had another dream, one that supplied an answer to my question of how I got up the mountain.
I was in a cottage. I was alone, but I could feel love all around me. There was peaceful and nurturing spirit with me. I could have spent forever there.
Then the moment was gone. I was now outside of the cottage, walking down the street. It was cold and dark. When I looked to the north, and saw the mountains.
And I was drawn to them, down to my very core.
I had no other choice.
I turned toward them to begin my ascent.
As you may have seen in earlier posts, I lost my best friend to cancer in August of 2019. A few monthly later, I began meditating, and trying to find inner peace, and hopefully, my path to enlightenment.
I wonder if she was the presence in the cottage, though I had this dream decades before she left us.
I wonder if my journey towards enlightenment was symbolized by my need to ascend that mountain.
I wonder if the hell scape I saw in the valley was a reflection of current events… or of how life has always been.
I wonder…
BTW…. wonder is a beautiful thing… we should all do that more…
We “grow up” and we lose that sense of wonder… that needs to stop…
And when we take the High Road, wonder just becomes part of everyday life.
Go ahead… give it a try…
